Novel Ag₃PO₄/CeO₂ p-n Hierarchical Heterojunction with Enhanced Photocatalytic Performance

The composite Ag₃PO₄/CeO₂ photocatlyst, a novel p-n type heterojunction, has been successfully fabricated through a facile hydrothermal process combined with a successive in situ precipitation technique. The X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) and UV-visible diffuse reflectance spectra (DRS) were used to characterize the as-obtained products. The SEM and TEM image show that CeO₂ particles have been successfully loaded and well distributed in the surface of Ag₃PO₄. The photocatalytic activities of the p-Ag₃PO₄/n-CeO₂ heterojunctions were investigated for their efficiency on the degradation of Rhodamine B (RhB) under ultra-violet light and visible light irradiation, and the results showed that the p-Ag₃PO₄/n-CeO₂ heterojunctions possessed remarkable photocatalytic activities. The enhanced photocatalytic activity can be attributed to the extended absorption in the visible light region resulting from the Ag₃PO₄ and the effective separation of photogenerated carriers driven by the internal electrostatic field in the junction region.

Keywords:
P-n junction; Semiconductors; Photocatalytic activity